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Air Date: Mar. 15, 1972. Written by: Bill Craig. Directed by: Jim Goddard. Produced by: Reginald Collin.
THE PLOT:
Kitzlinger (Martin Wyldeck) is a very special kind of broker. His trade is secrets; any government is fair game, and any government is a potential client.
Kitzlinger's current client is selling a list: the names of ten highly placed agents in Eastern Europe. The British government is allowed first refusal, but at a particularly steep price: £100,000. An additional agent, Bristac (Christopher Owen), is used as a demonstration that the goods are genuine, leaving Bristac lucky to escape with his life.
If the British don't pay by the end of the week, then Kitzlinger will go to the Russians. Bishop (Geoffrey Chater), Callan's superior, thinks they have no choice but to make the deal. Callan is more concerned with how this information leaked in the first place. Normally, he would hit the streets, pushing the right people until he found the answer. Stuck in the deskbound Hunter's job, however, he must rely on his agents to do that for him.
With Cross proving ever more unreliable, Callan turns to a previous Section operative. The only other agent he's ever actually respected: Toby Meres (Anthony Valentine). The man who, the last time they crossed paths, very nearly killed him...
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CHARACTERS:
Callan: "You know, you really are a very bad Hunter!" Bishop thunders this at Callan near the end - and he isn't wrong. It's not so much Callan's actual decisions, most of which are reasonable given the information he possesses. It's his manner. Look at all four previous Hunters. Even Hunter #2, who all but specialized in overcomplicating situations to their detriment, always presented himself as calm and in control. None of the previous Hunters tended to let their emotions show. By contrast, Callan is constantly showing his reactions, something even Kitzlinger picks up on. As a result, he never seems as in-control as his predecessors.
Meres: I didn't realize just how much I missed Meres. I've never hated Cross, who is a pretty decent character in his own right (at least, when he's not written as a Meres replacement). However, Cross lacks the experience and competence to be a genuine rival for Callan. Meres fits that role perfectly. He's all the things Callan isn't: Upper-class, polished, unemotional, and sadistic. He reveals that he sought a transfer back to The Section when Callan was made Hunter. Not for sentimental reasons, but because he doesn't believe Callan will last in the job, and he sees himself as the obvious replacement.
Lonely: Callan comes up with a brilliant solution to the problem of Lonely's red file: He hires the thief to be a driver for The Section's new "Mobile Communications Facility" (translation: radio taxi cab). Lonely's knowledge of Callan and The Section won't be a problem if he's actually working for them. Lonely almost balks when reading the penalties if he breaches the Official Secrets Act. Callan, knowing that the alternative might be killing Lonely, immediately and harshly quashes that.
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THOUGHTS:
There's a lot goign on in First Refusal. The episode follows up on two threads from Call Me Sir!: Callan's unwanted promotion to Hunter, and the complications created by Lonely knowing enough to be considered a danger to The Section. It also reintroduces Toby Meres - and since it's been some time since his last appearance, it has to re-establish his character and relationship with Callan in a way that will work for viewers old and new. And all that has to be fitted around the standalone story, which is a reasonably involved one.
In short, this easily could have fallen into the same trap as Call Me Sir!, which felt awkwardly paced, with multiple subplots that didn't seem to entirely fit together. Thankfully, this is a much better script. Aside from a little bit of choppy editing near the start, First Refusal does a good job of fusing all its threads together into a cohesive whole.
Every subplot is woven into the main story. Lonely's first task as driver is to take Bishop and Callan to meet Kitzlinger. Later, Lonely is used to delay the broker while surveillance is set up at his destination. Meres first appears as Kitzlinger's newest contact before we see him reporting to Callan. Meanwhile, the story as a whole furthers the Callan-as-Hunter arc, with the entire episode showing all the ways in which Callan is not suited to his desk job.
The story is well paced throughout, with several good scenes that showcase the characters without sacrificing plot progression. I did guess the ending... but in fairness to the episode, I only guessed it a few scenes beforehand, despite everything seeming obvious in retrospect.
All told, a fine episode, both on its own terms and in its implications for the rest of the season.
Overall Rating: 8/10.
Previous Episode: Call Me Sir!
Next Episode: Rules of the Game
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